The Transformation of a Woman - Ibsen's a Doll's House

The Transformation of a Woman In Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, the character of Nora Helmer is a woman who undergoes a profound life revelation that results in her becoming a woman with a belief structure and understanding of self that is far ahead of her time. At the beginning of the play, Nora thinks as a woman of her era; her identity is formed as her father’s daughter and continued as a wife to Torvald Helmer. At the end of the play Nora “discovers her individuality then walks out on her husband” (Ramsden). A primary theme of the play is that Nora is a doll that is living in a doll’s house. (Alexander 381--390) The entire play is set in one room of the Helmer household. This reinforces the sense that Nora is confined to a very narrow existence, trapped in domestic comfort. The setting also reinforces the theme that women are perceived according to their roles in marriage and motherhood. (William, Robert and Kissell, Adam) As a girl Nora is a reflection of her father, allowed no independent thought. (Alexander 381--390) As Nora tells her husband, “When I was at home with papa, he told me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinions; and if I differed from him I concealed the fact, because he would not have liked it.” Nora’s says of her father, “He called me his doll-child, and he played with me just as I used to play with my dolls.” As a woman Nora becomes a reflection of her husband. Nora states to Helmer, “I was simply transferred from papa’s hands into yours.” She tells him, “You arranged everything according to your own taste, and so I got the same tastes as you—or else I pretended to, I am really not quite sure which—I think sometimes the one and sometimes the other.” This is a continuation of her in the expected subservient role of a woman. Helmer treats Nora as one would a child, or a doll. (Alexander 381--390) He speaks to her in a patronizing manner, calling her “my little lark...

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A Doll’sHouse is a play about society and the role we are given in it. The focus of the play is on women, with Nora as the main character. Even though this play is the story of Nora, who is a female, you would think that the play is directed mostly towards women and their lives, but the author did it in a way that everyone in general can understand it and it has a very important meanning to each and everyone of us. Ibsen is asking us to think about our world and our place in it. While Nora finds herself in this story, Ibsen is encouraging the entire audience to question their reality and find themselves, just like Nora did.
Born in 1828, Henrik Ibsen was a 19-century Norwegian playwright, theater director, dramatist and a poet. He is often referred to as "the father" of modern theater. In his work, he usually asked his audiences a new set of moral questions. His early plays were written in Norway where he was criticized a lot and his work there was rejected by the audience because many of his plays were considered shocking and scandalous. Ibsen was often accused of revealing “truths which society preferred to keep hidden” (The Columbia Encyclopedia). He then moved to Italy and where he wrote the majority of his works. Ibsen is best known for his realistic social plays where he “rebelled against society’s conventions through...

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Often the first, and most obvious, component that can be observed when reading drama is the point of view that it is written from. Point of view determines the perspective from which the story is told. In a play there is typically not a narrator, leaving the audience to witness the action and dialogue of all the characters and compose a personal interpretation. This approach allows the characters to come alive as more is divulged and discovered about each of their identities. This development of each character is known as characterization. One of the most complex characters of the play is Nora, the wife. In the opening of Act 1 she is portrayed as a materialistic, wasteful woman. Nora’s husband, Torvald Helmer, is the character who first brings this trait to light by stating, “Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again” (Ibsen, A Doll’sHouse, 804), and “It’s a sweet little spendthrift, but she uses up a deal of money” (Ibsen, A Doll’sHouse, 805). Both statements suggest that Nora often spends more money than she should, on unnecessary items. As...

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Ibsen's career. It was during this period which he made the transition from
mythical and historical dramas to plays dealing with social problems. It was the
first in a series investigating the tensions of family life. Written during the
Victorian era, the controversial play featuring a female protagonist seeking
individuality stirred up more controversy than any of his other works. In
contrast to many dramas of Scandinavia in that time which depicted the role of
women as the comforter, helper, and supporter of man, "A Doll'sHouse"
introduced woman as having her own purposes and goals. The heroine, Nora Helmer,
progresses during the course of the play eventually to realize that she must
discontinue the role of a doll and seek out her individuality.
David Thomas describes the initial image of Nora as that of a doll wife
who revels in the thought of luxuries that can now be afforded, who is become
with flirtation, and engages in childlike acts of disobedience (259). This
inferior role from which Nora progressed is extremely important. Ibsen in his
"A Doll'sHouse" depicts the role of women as subordinate in order to emphasize
the need to reform their role in society.
Definite characteristics of the women's...

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The Subordinate Woman
4/2/2010
DePauw University
Mira Yaseen
Mira Yaseen
Professor Anthony
Comm 214
2 April 2010
A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen
The Subordinate Woman
In the wake of realism, Ibsen came upon us with an outspoken controversial play that encompassed many realities of the conservative Victorian era. Presenting a genuine image of the societal issues at the time, A Doll House gives us an insight to the world of women in the nineteenth century; it tells us about their struggles and realizations. Nora Helmer’s decision to leave her husband and children to educate and explore herself reflects Ibsen’s hope for a reform in women's role in the society. This necessitates a change in the masculine point of view towards women. Nora’s characteristics pertain to the stereotypical image of the subordinate woman. However, Nora's contradictory actions -such as her spendthrift nature and her attempt to buy the 'cheapest outfits', and her ineffectuality yet her ability to save her husband's life regardless of her methods- shed light on these characteristics and show that they are products of the patriarchal society's superiority and its expectations and misconceptions of women (Jacobus 660, 668).
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...﻿Female Characters:
Nora Helmer- mother, housewife, protagonist
Anne Marie- Nora's childhood nurse, now the Helmer children's nurse
Mrs. Christine Linde- Nora's old friend
Emmy Helmer- Nora's daughter
Helen- Helmer housemaid
Nora Helmer, our main character, strives to achieve the perfect ideal that is set before her by the contexts of her society and her husband, Torvald. She is a direct contrast with the other female characters presented in Ibsen's "A Dollhouse". Nora herself is trapped within the "dollhouse" that is her physical home. Torvald, her husband, has built a wonderful little life for his wonderful doll wife, and their wonderful dolly children. Nora's eventual transformation comes later as she discovers her role in the dollhouse society forced upon her and the desperate need to get out, at any cost.
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